Happy 76th birthday to Bud Collins

Happy birthday to the Boston Globe wordsmith and tennis expert.

 

And one of the nicest, most accommodating gentlemen who ever lived.

 

Well we agree on one thing at least. Bud Collins is the definition of gentleman.

I don't know him but I marvel at how he always seems so happy.

 

A long, long time ago (1986?), I was covering my first important tennis match -- Davis Cup, Becker-McEnroe at the Hartford Civic Center -- and McEnroe didn't want to make himself available the day before the match. Obviously that didn't apply to Bud, who helped a then young guy get a couple of quotes for his wire service story. It would have been easy for him to big-time me, but he didn't.

Thanks again and Happy Birthday, Bud.

(The match the next day was one of the longest in Davis Cup play, at least at the time. The media room and concession stands ran out of food but, knowing the bartender (Jim) at Chuck's, which was one of the main bars on Mall premises at the time, I called over and he put together a bag of burgers and fries for me and my media compadres.

 

Lou --
Do yourself a favor and, if you're ever within an area code, just walk up and say hello. Of course, you will have to block out time for the ensuing 35-minute conversation, but any time with Bud is worth it.
Unknown Bud Fact -- he covered the second Ali-Liston fight (in Lewiston. ME.) for the Globe.

UPDATE -- Story's in here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525485783/qid=1150558474/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/104-0599620-0018321?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 

Another great Bud fact... he used to play tennis barefoot on the grass courts and later the clay courts at Forest Hills in the early morning hours prior to the start of the day's play at the US Open.

 

He (as far as I know) still runs the press tournament at the Open, and all the pools have extremely obscene names, some of which are in Italian.
In 85, I think, we played, and adjourned to the press box, and a mini-tornado blew up on the grounds. The pressbox at the old Louis Armstrong literally started to sway. Bud never looked up from his keyboard.
"Lot of resumes being updated somewhere," he said.
A great human being.

 

He used to annoy me in his job as NBC's analyst (alongside Enberg). Too excitable. Talking during the points, etc.

But he is a wonderful ambassador for the sport. A good guy in a sport that could use a few more.

 

Don't want to take away from the deserved praise on here, but my favorite Bud Collins moment was when he interviewed Chris Evert after a match and alluded to a question posed to her at a press conference a day or two earlier.

Evert: "Oh yeah, whoever asked me that question, it was a really stupid question, and .... I think YOU asked me that question, Bud!"

 

Just to add my two cents, I had opportunity to meet Bud Collins in a press room at a pro tennis event many years back. I wasn't anybody he'd need to give the time of day to, but he introduced himself, smiled and shook my hand. I was always impressed at how gracious of a guy he was and always thought of that whenever I watched him on TV from then on.

Happy Birthday Bud.